Suit Up, Mama!
by Mari Walker on
You’ll never consider my body bikini-ready or beach-worthy. I’ve never had six-pack abs or been a small person, even in my younger, pre-kid days. I have a soft, squishy tummy; big, strong thighs; big everything.... Read full article
The Remembering: Reflections on My Pregnancy Loss
by Ellen Mecholsky on
It starts the first week of December, the remembering. I had felt her move for the first time in the car driving home from a Thanksgiving trip to Florida, which is why I suspect my anniversary grief stress begins so early. I subsequently gave birth t... Read full article
A Playdate-Style Birthday Party
by Mari Walker on
Birthday parties for littles can add up fast. For a few Benjamins, you can take them and a few friends to a bounce place or rent a bounce house for your backyard. We didn’t start big parties like that for my older daughter until she was about five.... Read full article
Eureka Springs, Arkansas
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After word had spread about the “healing” waters in the local springs, Eureka Springs, Arkansas was founded on July 4, 1879. Thousands soon flocked to the town in order to build shanties for the expected guests, and now, there are many places to visi... Read full article
Knowing Your Worth: Savannah Crawford
by Jami Redmond and Katrina Liza on
A beauty pageant is a competition that has always focused on ranking physical attributes. However, in the last decade, these contests have evolved to include personality, intelligence, talent and the contestant’s ability to answer questions based on ... Read full article
A Pox on Our House: Quarantine Dreaming
by Mari Walker on
I can’t be the only one who, when first hearing about the coronavirus COVID-19 thought a two week quarantine wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. As an overextended mom and introvert, putting pause on my life to stay home for a while is the stuf... Read full article
Understanding and Coping with the Holiday Blues
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When I was a child, I was obsessed with Christmas, like I suppose most kids are. But, I knew that when the song, “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” came on, things would get sad very quickly. As a first generation American, all I knew were small celebratio... Read full article
Play! Create! Imagine! (and then Clean. It. Up.)
by Ellen Mecholsky on
I walk a very fine line between wanting my children to play and create and imagine...and wanting/NEEDING a tidy house to function at my best. I need order around me to feel relaxed and productive. If I wake up in the morning and I am greeted by a tra... Read full article
Parenting Through Grief
by Kelly G. Carmena on
Like most parents, 2020 presented my family with change beyond measure. In early March, just one week before COVID hit the United States and shut the entire world down, my mother unexpectedly left our physical world... Read full article
My Tribe: How I Found My Motivation Again
by Kelly Carmena on
“Mommy, I need to go on a diet and I want you to go on one with me,” were the words that escaped my seven-year-old’s mouth when I realized I had fallen off the healthy wagon and re-entered the zone of “fat.” My running had tapered off, I had failed t... Read full article